befitwithjanet.com

Gasp! Yes, I’m approximately 9 weeks along now.

And with that, I’ve decided that my blog, in addition to the regular health & fitness posts, will feature insights from my pregnancy: my prenatal exercise regimen, diet, etc. on top of pregnancy health & fitness tips.

I wasn’t going to share my news until I couldn’t hide it because of one major reason: I was afraid it would hurt my growing personal training business. I assumed that people would hold back approaching me or sending referrals and think: “Oh, I don’t want to bother her with training me. She’s pregnant and probably doesn’t want to train people.” or “She’s pregnant. She can’t really train people. She shouldn’t be doing anything to overly exert herself.” or “She’s  probably not taking clients because I’m sure she’s cutting back on her workload.” None of this is true. I intend to be very active, focus on my career, and continue helping my clients pursue their health & fitness goals. I will kick your butt and give you the best workout of your life, even with a belly! And now I have the power of two

So, with the encouragement of my husband and a few friends, I decided to “come out” so to speak. I feel that I can take this opportunity to be a healthy role model and educate the public about what a healthy pregnancy looks like and can be like. This pregnancy has also sparked another fitness passion: offering prenatal and postnatal exercise as one of my specialties.

I’m still working out. Well, kind of. I caught a bug last week (it is NOT morning sickness!) and I’ve learned that when a woman is pregnant, it really compromises her immune system. So it’s taken me a bit longer to recoup. And I’ve also learned that when my body tells me I need to nap, I better nap! Although I’ve never been a napper!

Before I caught the bug -  and after my positive pregnancy test, I continued to work out (upon the thumbs-up from my doctor), teaching a cycling class and a couple of aerobic classes a week, circuit training and weight lifting. I’m also enjoying being able to do exercises in the prone position (lying face down) like lying hamstring curls and various core training exercises on the stability ball while I can.

And the week before I fond out I was pregnant, I was still following my competition prep training, upped my cardio, and nearing my max squat and deadlift!

I had a friend call me and ask if I’d like to workout with her “I’m training legs today. Can you still train legs?” she asked. “Heck yeah, I can still train legs. I just won’t be squatting 125 pounds.” I replied.

So just because a woman is pregnant doesn’t mean she can’t exercise.

We can continue to be active as long as our bodies tell us we can. After all, a woman is preparing for the biggest endurance event of her life. Why not train for that?

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Each week I field a question from a client, gym member, or am approached by a consumer (who spies my “Personal Trainer & Fitness Coach” logo on my jacket) about carbohydrates (”carbs”).

The question is typically “Should I not eat [insert carb here]” or “What’s a bad carb?” or “What’s a healthy carb?”

Short simple answer: A healthy carb comes from nature and is unrefined or unprocessed such as potatoes, vegetables, dry beans and fruit. These are the carbs you want to make sure are stocked in your fridge or pantry, on your plate, or included in a restaurant meal order.

And not all carbs are bad. We need carbs for energy and recovery. Carbs are brain food.

Some carbs, while minimally processed, are also good nutrition and energy sources. Oatmeal (I stick with 100% oats or minimally processed oatmeal from Kashi), organic brown rice and 100% whole wheat products get the green light (from me, anyway!) and are safe choices. If you love bread, choose those made with 100% whole wheat (make sure there isn’t high fructose corn syrup listed in the ingredients) or try the Ezekiel brand: it’s made from sprouted grains.

Check out this great article from WebMD with more information about white foods and “bad” carbs.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I read an article about Kristie Moore, an Olympic Curler who’s competing at this year’s Olympic Games while five month’s pregnant.

As a women who plans on having children, I found her story inspiring. I want to be that healthy, active mom-to-be. And then I thought “There must be other women motivated by her  -  expecting or not. I’m sure they are curious about exercising during pregnancy.”

There are some people who think you shouldn’t exercise while pregnant. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

You can do anything that you could do before you were pregnant. You just might need to modify some of your exercises or decrease the intensity and time of your exercise session. For example, I wouldn’t focus on going for your max squat or deadlift, continue plyometric training or run hill sprints.

So, I did a search for articles about exercising while pregnant and found a great resource that I would like to share with you. Of course, please consult a physician before pursuing an exercise plan: especially if you are pregnant. Speak with your doctor and find out what your limits are. But one thing is for sure: unless medically advised to skip exercise, there is no reason not to get off that couch and get moving.

Get out there and enjoy a workout with your little peanut. I heard the endorphin high you experience from pregnancy hormones is incredible.

Link to Pregnancy Fitness article located here.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

Think outside the icebox and chase away the winter blues. These tips will help fire up the endorphins and help you stay happy, fit and healthy this winter.

Get out of the house and take a class. Many facilities offer punch card systems or month-to-month memberships. There are an abundance of group fitness classes out there ranging from Yoga, Pilates, Bootcamp, Hip-Hop Cardio, Indoor Climbing, Boxing, and Indoor Cycling classes. It can be very energizing to exercise with a group of people. And you might be less likely to slack off when you’re sweating away with a group of like-minded folks.

Hit the Iron. Weight training is the best way to build lean muscle and change the appearance of your physique. Sure, cardio is great, but the lean muscle you develop will help you burn more calories and melt the fat. And ladies: don’t worry about “bulking up.” Women don’t have enough testosterone in their body to build insane muscles. So, hit the weights!

Buddy up. Find a workout partner who matches your drive, fitness level, and is serious about working out. It’s harder to blow off a workout when you know someone is counting on you. Or, if you want to learn a new exercise routine or work on specific sports training, buddy up to the professional expertise of a certified personal trainer.

Plan for Motivation. Find a late winter or early spring athletic event. Sign up. Pay for it. And start training for it NOW. It will give you the motivation to get out there and train. Track it on your calendar and create a training plan to prepare for your early season recreational endeavor.

Purchase new workout clothes. Sure, you can workout in a pair of beat up sweats and baggy t-shirt with armpit stains. But I find that when I wear flattering and colorful athletic clothes to the gym, it picks up my mood during the dreary winter days and gives me an extra push to workout harder. And I’ll admit, it’s silly, but the thought of putting on a new pair of exercise pants, new shoes, or even a new pair of socks makes me a little more giddy about going to the gym!

Create a New Exercise Soundtrack. New music can create a new attitude about exercising. Check out exercise/workout forums online (there is typically a thread created where users share their favorite workout songs), or “Hot New Releases” and “Best Sellers” on iTunes or amazon.com for ideas.

Go on a Virtual Ride. If your preferred form of exercise is cycling, turn your indoor cycling session into a virtual ride. For a small fee, The Sufferfest offers 60-minute structured training videos featuring fun music and motivating footage. Ride the 2009 Paris-Roubaix, bomb through a downhill mountain bike course, and take a jaunt through luscious single-track. Videos may be downloaded to your iPod, iPhone or laptop. (Caution: videos may cause motion sickness). Check out the Indoor Cycling Resource tab for a list of links to play lists and pod casts.

Create a Workout Ritual. It can help get your head in the game, and you’ll be less likely to blow off your workout. Your ritual could range from eating a standard preworkout meal (for me, it’s 100% oats mixed with chocolate protein powder), to listening to your “theme” song, or just enjoying a cup of Peace Coffee at home or your desk before hitting up your workout.

Take it Outside. The Winter season is the perfect time to explore a new sport, and many outdoor exercise options await us! Perhaps this is the year you deck out a mountain bike with studded tires and ride the snow-packed trails, try speed skating, snowshoeing, ice climbing, or take up cross-country skiing.

Mix up the tips and suggestions throughout the winter season. Not only will it improve your mood, but you’ll be thankful come spring when you pull out the summer clothes and find that they didn’t shrink while in storage.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I have to admit - and I’m going to be candid with this post: I have a love-disappointment mind set about the “New Year’s Resolution Crowd.” (hate is a strong word, so I’m using disappointment)

On one hand,  I love to see new people in the gym with a new lease on fitness. It excites me to see people taking care of his/her health. I don’t mind the crowds so much because these people are getting fit. They are enthusiastic and taking steps to be healthier.

But come late January/mid February, the crowds start to thin out. I’m not sure why it happens. Perhaps they get burned out, bored, frustrated when they don’t see results after three weeks, are not sure what to do to switch up thier workouts, etc.

That’s where my disappointment comes in. I get disappointed that they didn’t stick it out and follow through with their resolution and gave a halfhearted attempt in creating a healthy lifestyle. Or they were looking for a quick fix. And when they didn’t see that quick fix work, they bailed on their resolution.

I want to encourage the folks who are feeling burned out or losing motivation to do a couple of things:

- Educate yourself about exercises and nutrition from reliable sources.

- Take baby steps to build health & fitness into your life. Don’t try to do it all at once. You’ll get overwhelmed. For example, I encourage my new clients to slowly ramp up their water intake and make it a goal to eat one cup of green vegetables each day. Each week they receive challenges that encourage behavior modification and help build healthy habits into their lifestyle.

- If you’re not sure what to do, hire a professional. If it keeps you on track, keeps you motivated, takes the intimidation out of navigating the gym, expands your exercise database, and helps build your knowledge - then it’s money well spent. I can attest to that. When I first started exercising, I thought a good workout was walking on the treadmill at a snail pace for 10 minutes, doing a couple of bicep curls, and a few sit-ups. When I didn’t see results, I hired a trainer and learned everything I could about using dumbbells and machines. I expanded my knowledge about which exercises worked different muscle groups. And the gym became my playground.

- If you can’t afford a professional for one-on-one personal training, find a group fitness class. Bootcamps are a blast! Or try a total body conditioning class. Group fitness is a great way to learn new exercises that you can build into your personal regimen. (My programs begin this Saturday and Thursday and there is still time to sign up. Click here to learn more. Scroll down to the Small Group Training section).

I’d also like to share this article from WebMD entitled Finding the Best Workout for You.

Just don’t quit!

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I received the following tips for helping make 2010 a successful year and wanted to share them with you all. I’ve identified a few that I’m going to start working on right away!

Each day, pick one from each category and practice applying it to your life.

SUCCESS HANDBOOK 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray and/or meditate.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree…

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing! (It’s the hard thing)
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. God/the Universe heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank God/the Universe for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about!

Make your new year healthy,

Janet

While some of the states on the East Coast are still digging out, we’re getting ready to get hit with snow in Minnesota. Depending on which weather forecast you believe, we’ll get pounded with anywhere between 8 to 20 inches over the course of three days.

I was listening to the news on MPR last night. The forecaster stated: “I haven’t seen a weather map like this since….” My mind said: Don’t say it!”, but yup,…he said it: “Since Halloween of 1991.” Ugh. That’s an infamous snow storm that created many Midwest snow related urban legends! We got stuck in our car on a rural road in Wisconsin during that snow storm - we were traveling to Minnesota from Illinois for a visit - and had to get our car dug out the next day.

During our first winter back in Minnesota, I would call dibs on shoveling snow. (I don’t think my husband minded at all!) It was my exercise! But that got old pretty quick. Well, he’s not sure if the snow blower is going to work when he tries to fire it up later this week.  It had some mechanical issues during our storm a couple weeks ago. So I may be getting some exercise, afterall.

So, in anticipation of this snow storm that’s bringing us a beautiful Winter Wonderland :-), I would like to provide this link to an article on Web MD with tips on shoveling snow safely.

Oh, by the way - the Small Group Fitness Programs are posted on the Programs page. Click here to learn more about the adult programs (scroll down to Group Training) and here to learn about my new Fitness for Teens program.

Have a Healthy Hanakachirstmaskwanza!

Janet

Looking for healthy recipes for that leftover turkey?

Cooking Light is featuring a slide show with healthy recipes. I’m totally trying that recipe for Turkey and Prosciutto Flat Bread Pizza. Paired with a HUGE salad, of course!

And, here’s my recipe for Turkey Soup.

Janet’s No-Frills Turkey Soup

(use organic vegetables when possible)

Disclaimer: I’m an “eye-it-up” cook and tend not to measure my ingredients. So proceed with caution. However, these measurements should be pretty close to what I typically use to make an awesome turkey soup!

- 5 cups of free range chicken stock

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 3 carrots, chopped

- ¼ cup shallots

- 1 tsp rosemary

- 2 cups cooked turkey, cubed or shredded (depending on preference)

- 1 cup chopped celery

- 1 bay leaf

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 1 tsp olive oil

Soften vegetables in large stockpot: add olive oil to a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add carrots and celery to pot and cook until they vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add shallots and rosemary and cook another 2 minutes. Add1 cup of the stock, reduce heat to low; partially cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the stock, water, bay leaf and turkey. Simmer for 30 minutes. Can cook for a couple of hours to let all flavors fuse together.

Additions:

Use leftover stuffing and dressing for dumplings. Warm up bread mixture. Form bread into small balls. After scooping soup into bowls, place one-two bread balls in each serving.

Turn the soup into Turkey Noodle Soup. Make pasta in a separate pot. Add to soup just before serving. (If you make the pasta in the soup, it tends to make it a bit too starchy).

Make your life healthy,

Janet

I’ve been asked this question frequently: Should I or Can I Exercise While I’m Pregnant?

The answer is a big HECK YEAH!

I’m currently working with a client who’s main motivation is to get in the best shape she can before she gets pregnant. I find that very admirable. And she doesn’t plan to stop exercising after she gets that positive pregnancy test. She’s committed to getting and staying fit! Being the fitness geek I am, that makes me all giddy!

While there are some exceptions, you can basically do pretty much everything in the terms of exercise that you were doing before you got pregnant. But, of course, you’ll need the green light from your physician.

I remember reading a story about an Olympic Skeleton racer who rode her bike to the hospital…to deliver her baby. Now, I’m not saying you’ve got to be that hard core (you won’t find me riding my bike to the hospital to deliver my baby!), but it’s still a motivating story about staying physically active during pregnancy.

Staying in shape when you’re pregnant has so many benefits:

• you’ll feel better and have more energy
• strong muscles and a great cardio capacity can make for a easier delivery, and
• because you’re off-setting those calories, exercising will make it easier to get back to that post-baby body.

In regards to nutrition, women only need about 300 calories more a day than they were consuming pre-baby. A healthy pregnancy weight gain is around 30 pounds. Being pregnant is NOT a license to eat…if you gain 50 pounds during pregnancy, don’t think for a minute that you’re going to be bringing home a 50 pound baby! The more weight that’s put on, the more weight you’ll have to bring off.

Here are two links with more information:

Mayo Clinic has a wealth of information available on its website.

The Pregnant Woman’s Guide to the Gym as published in Fit Pregnancy

And when you continue to exercise post-baby, not only will it help keep you sane and fit, but you’ll also be setting a good example for your children.

Make your life healthy,

Janet

WebMd has an interesting slide show featuring the myths and facts about back pain.

Click here to read.

Back pain is very common, but it doesn’t have to be. You can reduce back pain with staying fit, increasing your core muscle strength, and losing weight around the abdomen. In addition to the combination of those three, back pain can also be treated holistically through chiropractic care and acupuncture - of which I am a huge fan

Here is another link to an article that lists exercises to reduce lower back pain.  Be sure to click on the “what, where, why, and how” links at the bottom of the text to learn more.

Make your life healthy,

Janet